They took the big hits in a drama-filled race that featured Danica Patrick getting wrecked by boyfriend Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Stenhouse ticking off good friend Tony Stewart by blocking.

As a result, there were more fallers than risers in this week’s rankings.

Power Rankings

1. Matt Kenseth — (Last week: 1) Had a dominant car and was whipping the field until an untimely caution flag and he got caught up in a wreck. His 15th-place finish was a major disappointment in a race he could have walked away with.

2. Kasey Kahne (5) — Kahne was the only driver who could run with Kenseth until things got weird at Charlotte. He lost the race with the wrong pit call, but he still showed what he’s capable of when he stays out of trouble.

3. Jimmie Johnson (2) — Johnson did not dominate like many expected after he won the Sprint All-Star Race. Instead he struggled and wrecked. He still has a decent points lead but such struggles on a 1.5-mile track has to be a concern.

4. Kevin Harvick (7) — Some expected Harvick to struggle to make the Chase in his final season with Richard Childress Racing. Now he has two wins and is a virtual lock. He also climbed three spots to seventh in the standings. There might be something to Harvick’s us-against-the-world mantra.

5. Carl Edwards (3) — Edwards finished 11th at Charlotte and is still second in the standings but he is not leading laps and running up front enough to be considered a serious contender — yet.

6. Clint Bowyer (6) — With his sense of humor and entertaining personality, NASCAR could use this guy in victory lane soon.

7. Kyle Busch (4) — Is this that stretch of the season when engine failures, wrecks, mistakes and any number of mishaps keeps him out of the top 10? Sure looks like it.

8. Martin Truex Jr. (11) — Truex loves him some 1.5-mile asphalt. He has five top-10s, four of them on 1.5-milers, and he’s back in the top 10 in points again.

9. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (8) — Just when it looked like he was going to turn things around, his engine blew. Looks this is going to be another season of ups and downs and near-misses.

10. Brad Keselowski (9) — Keselowski says he favors mental toughness over physical strength. He needs a heavy dose of it after three finishes of 32nd or worse in his last four races.

11. Kurt Busch (13) — Busch’s third-place finish at Charlotte might have been the most impressive performance of the night. And he did it with steam coming out of his ears after another mechanical hiccup, which might have been even more impressive.

12. Ryan Newman (14) — Does it help your future with the company when you consistently outrun the boss?

13. Denny Hamlin (16) — Hamlin has two straight top-five finishes since returning from his back injury. Before the injury, he had just one top-10 in five races. This guy likes to play hurt.

14. Jeff Gordon — Gordon is spending way too much time running in the middle of the pack, hence another wreck. He needs to win, because this team does not look good enough to crack the top 10 in points.

15. Paul Menard (17) — Signed a new contract and finished 13th at Charlotte. Is that what RCR expects for the next three years?

16. Tony Stewart (19) — How do you keep rookies from blocking and ticking you off? Figure out how to outrun them.

17. Aric Almirola (12) — He’s fallen four spots in points to 12th in the past two weeks. Reality may be setting in for this team.

18. Greg Biffle (15) — A wreck at Charlotte continued a run of bad luck. This team is not running well enough to battle bad luck, too.

19. Joey Logano (22) — Another top-five in the continuing saga of this promising but inconsistent driver.

20. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (20) — First he wrecked his girlfriend, and then he ticked off surly Tony Stewart. Just part of the rookie experience.

21. Jeff Burton (24) — Burton finished 12th at Charlotte but with Harvick having two wins and he and Menard both in the top 10, Burton needs to step up.

22. Juan Pablo Montoya — After a couple of good runs at Richmond and Darlington, trouble found Montoya again at Charlotte. This guy can’t wait for a road-course race.

23. Jamie McMurray — McMurray looked like he was going to be a contender at Charlotte but wound up 19th. He’s close enough to make the Chase if he can find some consistency.

24. Marcos Ambrose — He made history at Charlotte: First driver to finish in the top 10 after getting his car wrapped up in a broken camera cable. At least he didn’t hit a kangaroo.

25. Danica Patrick — Finished 29th and gave Stenhouse, her boyfriend, the silent treatment after wreck. Hey, it could have been worse. She could have finished 29th without wrecking.